Casey Kasem's Widow Sued for Wrongful Death

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Jean Kasem, left, the wife of radio personality Casey Kasem, appears in Kitsap County Superior Court, with her attorney Joel Paget, right, Friday, May 30, 2014 in Port Orchard, Wash.

Three of the radio personality Casey Kasem's children and his brother sued his widow on Wednesday, claiming her actions led to his death in 2014.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court accuses Jean Kasem of elder abuse and inflicting emotional distress on Kasem's children from a previous marriage by restricting access to their father before his death.

The lawsuit follows years of legal wrangling between Jean Kasem and three of his adult children from a previous marriage. The groups fought over visitation access to Casey Kasem before his death in June 2014, with his daughter Kerri Kasem assuming control of his medical care.

A Los Angeles judge stripped Jean Kasem of decision-making authority over concerns about her decision to move Casey Kasem from a medical facility in Santa Monica, California, to a friend's home in Washington state.

It states that in the months before Casey Kasem's death, his wife repeatedly left him in various hospitals for days despite the fact he was ready to be discharged. The lawsuit also details numerous confrontations about Kasem's care, and it states Jean Kasem transported his body to Norway where it was buried in an unmarked grave.

That was despite Casey Kasem's wishes to be buried at a cemetery in Los Angeles, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states the Kasem's children and brother are seeking "fair recompense for the suffering they personally endured from witnessing the abuse and its painful and damaging physical effect on their beloved father and brother, and the gross treatment and disposition of Casey Kasem's remains in an unmarked grave in a distant land unknown to him or his family."

"What she did to my father is reprehensible," Kerri Kasem said. "It's disgusting. It's horrific."

Los Angeles prosecutors in May rejected filing elder abuse charges against Jean Kasem, saying they could not prove at trial that her actions led to the radio host's death. An explanation of the decision stated Jean Kasem ensured her husband was medically supervised during his transport from Santa Monica to Washington, which included a brief stay in Las Vegas.

"Because of Mr. Kasem's longstanding profound health issues, this case cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury," the decision stated. "The development of a bedsore by itself is insufficient evidence of abuse or neglect because of Mr. Kasem's overall weakened health."